But riding the subway is more than just hopping on a train to get from A to B. Going underground is also means a ticket for a contemporary art exhibition that has drawn commuters ever since the network was inaugurated in 1959.

Lisbon’s metro stations are subterranean galleries of creativity. Portuguese artist Maria Keil started it all. Between 1957 and 1982 she illustrated no less than 19 stations with striking abstract panels of glazed tiles (azulejos).

As the network expanded and new stations built, more artists were commissioned to leave their own unique signature on walls, ceilings, stairwells and platforms. Today, Lisbon’s subway showcases a remarkable collection of colourful and intricate tilework, engraving and sculpture.

At Saldanha, a busy interchange that straddles the Red and Yellow Lines, look out for Luís Filipe de Abreu’s beautiful Primavera, one of a series of panels themed around “The Universal Characteristics of Man”.

Back on the Blue Line, Parque station is simply stunning. The entire platform is embellished with azulejos in various shades of blue that illustrate the “Portuguese Discoveries” and “The Rights of Man”. The work is by Françoise Schein and Federica Matta.

The detour to Alto dos Moinhos further north along the Blue Line is worth it for Júlio Pomar’s freehand studies of four great Portuguese literary figures. The poet Fernando Pessoa can be seen on the stairs!

Alto dos Moinhos Metro Station

Another destination somewhat off the beaten track is Quinta das Conches, on the Yellow Line. The artwork here is some of the most original found on the network – doodles, sketches, musings and more by Joana Rosa.

Quinta das Conchas Metro Station

At the end of the Red Line is Oriente Station. The panels decorating the platforms were created around the theme “The Oceans” to celebrate Expo ’98. International artists from five continents have left their wild and whacky interpretations for posterity, including Austria’s Hundertwasser and António Ségul from Argentina.

2 Comments

Autobug,
right, we just spot the fun ones!
I think this picture has an amazing number of really beautiful cars in it.
Great the 63 Lincoln right next to a same-year Cadillac! Caddy looks a lot bigger.
Row 3, first car must be a 64 Marauder! How desirable is that today?
And it’s 1964 and who can count the number of bugs on this lot?
Anyone found a squarebird?

Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon. Many thanks